Psalm 45; Isaiah 9:1-7; Luke 22:54-69 Listen to the author read their meditation and prayer: The Rev. Dave Scheider, Advent Meditation Today we recall Peter’s denial when asked if he is a follower of Jesus. Jesus has been arrested and is awaiting a trial that will condemn him to death. We wonder: why … read more

This summer I fell in love with the rocky coast of Maine. Sitting on a boulder at Schoodic Point listening to squawking gulls chase after lobster boats in the bay pushed me into aesthetic bliss. For a moment I closed my eyes to absorb more deeply. My inner peace was shattered when a stranger yelled […]

By the Rev. Dave Scheider “Have you ever had a mystical experience?” Lately I have been asking this question in groups or with individuals. I admit this is a safe question to ask in a seminary with people who have a sense of calling. But I have been asking this question to students who are […]

Introduction: Many people have crosses. Here are my favorites. (Show the crosses and tell the occasions when I received them.) Many of us wear crosses, but their meaning often has little to do with the crucifixion. A professor once told our class that we should wear little electric chairs to remember that crosses were instruments […]

“Oh, thank goodness,” I thought to myself as I saw that Brother Curtis’s plane was delayed by half an hour. Strangely having to wait has become an oasis for me. Every now and then my life gets so full that I welcome time to sit in an airport (or anywhere). Brother Curtis, from the Society […]

Sunday – November 29 Psalms 146,147; Amos 1:1-5, 13, 2:8; Luke 21:5-19 Listen to the author read their meditation and prayer: The Rev. Dave Scheider Advent Meditation My wife is a professional organizer. When a client shows her a cluttered, chaotic room, she asks “What is your vision for this room? How do you […]

Martin Buber described two ways of relating, I-It or I-Thou. In I-It, we relate to the other as an object we can classify, compare, contrast or dissect. In I-Thou we encounter the other’s essence and experience the depths rather than the surface. I discovered recently how easy it is to drift into an I-It relationship […]

How do we know if the decisions we make are from God or some other source? Seems to me that is the key question of General Convention that underlies each vote and discussion. As we make decisions that will affect our beloved Church how will we know if God’s will is being done? Monthly I […]

As a young seminarian in my early twenties, I loved the BBC comedy The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin. In this hilarious satire, Reginald dismantles his life as a successful businessman. The lines between his fantasies and his reality become blurred to the point where Reginald starts saying and doing things that are increasingly outrageous. Then Reginald fakes his own death and begins an alternate life free of responsibility and social convention. At age 23 I often wondered why this series delighted me so very much.

Dave Scheider is the Director of the Loise Henderson Wessendorf Center for Christian Ministry and Vocation at Seminary of the Southwest. Prior to joining the faculty of Seminary of the Southwest, Dave served as an Army Chaplain for 25 years.

Memorial Day began at the conclusion of the Civil War to commemorate all those who died in that horrific conflict that claimed almost an entire generation of young men. Since the Civil War, the holiday continued as a day to honor all service members who paid the ultimate sacrifice. In 25 years of service as an Army chaplain, I gathered countless stories of young men and women who were willing to lay down their lives for others. Each one of them affected me profoundly. This memory is of a young engineer Private.